1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to a support for a fence post and, more particularly, to a support that is easily manufactured and assembled, resists shock loading to the post, provides a rigid upright support for a railing, and that permits the post to be aligned plumb with the vertical direction. Specifically, the invention relates to a support that is mounted to a floor and is slidingly received in a cavity formed in a post, the support being adjustable to orient the post plumb with the vertical direction and permitting the post to withstand shock loading at the lower end thereof.
2. Background Information
Fences and railings are used in numerous building applications for diverse purposes, the most typical being to provide a barrier adjacent the edge of an elevated floor structure such as a porch, a balcony, or a recreational deck. Such fences often contain a plurality of posts affixed to and extending upwardly from the floor with stringers and balusters connecting the posts with one another to form a continuous structure around the exposed circumference of the floor. The attachment of each of the posts to the floor and the consecutive connection of the posts with one another provide a relatively strong barrier that protects a person from inadvertently falling off the edge of the floor.
Numerous materials are used for making such fencesxe2x80x94including wood, metal, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), among other materials. Among the most popular fences have been those constructed of hollow sections of PVC due to advantages in cost, workability, weight, versatility, and longevity, as well as other relevant factors. The use of such PVC fences has not, however, been without limitation.
Hollow PVC posts have heretofore been difficult to securely attach to the floor inasmuch as the PVC itself typically does not provide a solid anchor for threaded fasteners such as screws and bolts that are typically used to attach a post to the floor. It is also known that PVC posts provide insufficient resistance to impact loading at the lower end where the post is connected to the floor and where the post is subject to accidental bumping and kicking by persons standing on the floor. Moreover, fences and railings are most structurally sound and most aesthetically pleasing when the posts are oriented plumb with the vertical direction, and hollow PVC posts have proven to be difficult to fixedly attach to a floor in a direction plumb with the vertical inasmuch as the walls of the post are relatively thin and not suited to accept threaded fasteners therein. A need thus exists for a post mount that securely attaches a hollow PVC post to a floor, permits the post to be oriented plumb with the vertical direction, and provides sufficient strength to allow the post to withstand moderate shock loading at its lower end.
One solution is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,141,928. The invention is a post mount for affixing a construction member having a cavity to a floor where the post mount includes a support block, an adjustment plate, a plurality of adjustment bolts threadably mounted to the adjustment plate, a bearing plate, a plurality of optional compression pins, a clamping plate, a bolt extending therethrough, and a nut connected to the bolt. The support block is fixedly attached to the floor and is slidingly received in the cavity. The post mount securely affixes the post to the floor and permits the post to be oriented plumb with the vertical direction and provides support to allow the post to withstand moderate shock loading to the lower end thereof.
It has been found that this solution is quite useful in many applications; however the support block is a complicated design requiring significant extrusion and/or machining. It further requires a rather large bolt that holds the entire assembly together that must be of a design that is strong enough to firmly and securely hold the assembly together and prohibit rocking, twisting, etc.
In view of the foregoing, advantages are obtained by the improved post mount of the present invention, the general nature of which may be stated as including a post mount that securely mounts a hollow construction member having a cavity, such as a post, to a floor, where the post mount being slidably received in the cavity. Other advantages to the present invention exist including any one or more of the following: providing a post mount that adjustably orients a construction member plumb with the vertical direction, providing a post mount that is easy to manufacture and enhances the structural integrity of a hollow construction member mounted to a floor and that permits the post to withstand moderate shock loading at the lower end thereof, providing a post mount that can be used to attach a hollow construction member to a variety of different types of floors, and providing a post mount that securely attaches a construction member to a floor and prevents movement of the post relative to the floor.